Innovations in Data Center Power and Cooling Solutions

NTT, ENGIE sign multi-market renewable energy deal

NTT DATA, a Japanese IT services and consulting group, and ENGIE, a French multinational energy company, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the long-term energy needs of NTT DATA's global data centre portfolio and expanding AI infrastructure using renewable energy. The agreement focuses on renewable energy procurement, power supply, and integrated energy services to support the continued growth of the company's data centres while contributing to its net zero objectives. Working agreements have already been signed in the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany as part of the multinational partnership. In the UK, NTT DATA has entered into a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) with ENGIE for renewable electricity supplied from a 24MW wind farm in South Wales. The agreement will provide power to NTT DATA's UK data centres until September 2030. Partnership supports AI infrastructure growth The companies say the partnership is intended to address increasing demand for reliable, long-term energy supplies as AI and cloud infrastructure continue to expand. David Costa, Chief Sustainability Officer at NTT DATA, comments, "AI is transforming every industry, and long-term success depends on ensuring that AI is sustainable. Sustainability is both a competitive differentiator and a value creator. "This partnership with ENGIE reflects our belief that energy transition and AI transformation must advance together, enabling us to innovate and scale responsibly while delivering long-term value for our clients and society." Doug Adams, CEO of NTT Global Data Centers, adds, "This partnership gives us the energy foundation we need to keep pace with accelerating AI demand without compromising on our sustainability commitments. "Securing long-term access to renewable power at scale is one of the defining challenges for our industry right now, and working with a partner like ENGIE lets us continue our growth with confidence - for our clients, for our company, and for the environment." Nicolas Lefèvre-Marton, Group Vice President Data Center Acceleration & Strategy Partnerships at ENGIE, notes, "Our partnership with NTT DATA is an exciting synergy between our industries, with both parties working to address the energy requirements of the data and AI revolution with renewable and sustainable solutions." Miya Paolucci, CEO of ENGIE UK, concludes, "This CPPA is the result of a deep understanding of NTT DATA's needs, demonstrating how a collaborative approach can deliver innovative solutions and sustainable infrastructure to support long-term growth and decarbonisation ambitions." For more from NTT DATA, click here.

Veolia to operate 350MW data centre microgrid

Veolia, a French multinational environmental services company, has been selected to operate and maintain a 350MW microgrid that will supply power to an AI data centre campus in Ohio, USA. The project will operate independently of the public electricity grid, providing all of the site's power through a combination of on-site generation and battery energy storage. Veolia says the development is intended to help meet growing demand for AI infrastructure whilst reducing pressure on local electricity networks. The contract forms part of the company's 'Data Center Resource 360' offering, which focuses on supporting the operation of data centres through energy, water, and waste management services. The Ohio microgrid will combine gas engines, linear generators, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and medium-voltage infrastructure into a single energy platform. Veolia will be responsible for operations integration, commissioning support, and the long-term operation and maintenance of the facility under a performance-based contract. The company says it joined the project before commercial operations began to support commissioning, develop operating procedures, and coordinate work between contractors and equipment manufacturers. According to Veolia, the facility has a target availability of 99.9% and will require a dedicated on-site workforce of between 35 and 40 full-time personnel. Grid-independent power for AI infrastructure Karin Hamel, CEO of Veolia Energy North America and Chief Growth Officer for Veolia in North America, comments, "Our work on this project shows how Veolia can help developers accelerate speed-to-power while maintaining the reliability required for mission-critical AI operations, all while protecting the community. "As developers deploy microgrids and other advanced energy systems to meet the growing demand for AI infrastructure, they need trusted partners with the expertise to operate these assets safely, reliably, and at scale. "Veolia helps reduce operational risk, improve performance, and provide environmental security for customers and the communities they serve, supporting the responsible growth of AI while delivering reliable and sustainable infrastructure solutions." The company says the microgrid will have 350MW of generation capacity and incorporate a 430MWh battery energy storage system. For more from Veolia, click here.

Secure I.T. completes UPS and AHU upgrades for NHS

Secure I.T. Environments (SITE), a UK design and build company for modular, containerised, and micro data centres, has completed uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and air handling unit (AHU) upgrades at two live data centres operated by an unnamed NHS Foundation Trust. The projects were carried out while both facilities remained operational and were designed to improve resilience, energy efficiency, and future scalability for the Trust's critical digital infrastructure. The UPS upgrade replaced two end-of-life systems with modular Riello Multi Power infrastructure. SITE installed two 252kVA UPS chassis, each configured at 84kVA N+1 using 42kW power modules. The modular design allows additional capacity to be added in the future without replacing the entire platform. Cooling upgrade improves efficiency The second project involved replacing ageing AHUs at a data centre originally designed and built by SITE during the 2000s. The facility supports a hospital with more than 800 beds, outpatient services, and one of the South East's busiest emergency departments. As part of the works, the existing condenser compound was decommissioned and replaced with a new ground-level installation designed to improve heat rejection performance. The upgraded FläktGroup AHUs were specified to maintain environmental conditions during higher ambient temperatures, whilst also incorporating physical security measures and remote monitoring capabilities. According to SITE, the new cooling equipment is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 58,000kg annually and deliver energy cost savings of approximately £32,305 per year, with a projected return on investment of just over three years. Working around ongoing operations The projects were delivered in carefully planned phases to minimise disruption to hospital operations. The UPS systems were replaced one at a time over two weekend shutdowns, with construction work for the cooling upgrade being scheduled to reduce the impact on visitors and nearby clinical services. A spokesperson for the Trust comments, "This was a big and critically important project for the hospital, carried out smoothly by Secure I.T. Environments. We were really grateful for the work and professionalism of the team, and its partners Riello, throughout the project." The UPS project also included new underfloor containment and cabling, DC transition boxes, integration with the existing battery strings following testing, remote monitoring, commissioning, load bank testing, and operational training for estates engineers. Jo-Anne Garvie, Commercial Director at Secure I.T. Environments, says, "In hospital environments, the resilience of supporting infrastructure has to be treated with the same discipline as the IT systems it protects. "These projects have resulted in a more flexible and maintainable power platform and energy-efficient cooling infrastructure. Together, they support the Trust's current operational needs and give it a clear path for future expansion." For more from SITE, click here.

ABB launches grid compliance solution for Irish data centres

ABB, a multinational corporation specialising in industrial automation and electrification products, has introduced a new energy storage and power management system designed to help data centres comply with emerging grid stability requirements in Ireland. The system combines ultracapacitor energy storage with real-time power orchestration to enable large energy users to respond to grid disturbances within milliseconds, without requiring major changes to existing electrical infrastructure. The announcement comes as Ireland prepares to introduce new grid requirements under EirGrid's proposed MPID345 grid code modification, which will require large-demand facilities, including data centres, to remain connected during grid faults and rapidly restore power demand following network disturbances. ABB has also published a whitepaper, Ireland's Data Centers - Moving from Passive Consumption to Active Participation in Grid Stabilization, outlining how the technology could support compliance with the new regulations. Addressing new grid stability requirements According to ABB, the solution integrates ultrafast energy storage, grid-forming power conversion, and digital control systems to help support grid frequency and voltage stability whilst also maintaining data centre operations. The company says the approach differs from conventional backup systems, which are primarily designed to isolate facilities from grid events rather than actively supporting the electricity network. Ireland's data centres currently account for around 24% of the country's electricity consumption, with that figure expected to increase to 30% by 2032. Under Ireland's Large Energy-User Action Plan (LEAP), new large-scale facilities are expected to provide on-site or nearby generation and/or energy storage, participate in electricity markets, and source at least 80% of their annual energy from new renewable energy projects. Lee Todd, Vice President, Energy & Carbon Services, Electrification Service at ABB, explains, "This is a radical change in what the national grid demands of Ireland’s data centre operators. "When large loads shed simultaneously during a disturbance, the resulting power imbalance can drive frequency excursions that cascade across the entire grid. That is why the country’s data centre operators will be required to provide grid support. And while Ireland is leading the way, other countries such as Spain and US State of Texas are set to follow. "The path forward is not more backup capacity, but precise, coordinated control of power delivered at the exact moment it is needed. We are using ultracapacitors as a unique innovative solution that replaces the need to use the larger alternative technologies of synchronous condensers, e-statcoms, or a combination of different technologies. "The primary purpose of the solution is to provide not only grid inertia and grid voltage control that can be controlled on demand, but [to] support all the available services that energy storage can provide, lowering CapEx investment and OpEx." ABB says a representative 50MW data centre deployment would use five modular 8.4MVA power blocks, providing around 42MVA of dynamic grid support capability. For more from ABB, click here.

Schneider, AMD publish AI data centre reference design

Global energy technology company Schneider Electric and AMD, an American multinational semiconductor company, have released a jointly developed reference design for the AMD Helios rack-scale platform, providing data centre operators with a framework for deploying high-density AI infrastructure. The reference design is the first outcome of the companies' collaboration and is intended to simplify the planning and deployment of AI data centres by providing a validated approach to power, cooling, and IT infrastructure. It supports the AMD Helios platform, which combines AMD Instinct GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs, AMD Pensando networking technology, and the ROCm software ecosystem. As AI workloads continue to increase power density and cooling requirements, the reference design aims to help operators reduce deployment complexity by offering a tested blueprint covering facility power, facility cooling, IT space, and lifecycle software. Framework targets high-density AI deployments According to the companies, the reference design supports modular AI clusters with up to 10.4MW of IT capacity for greenfield developments and rack densities of up to 246kW. It also outlines liquid cooling approaches using Schneider Electric's Motivair coolant distribution units (CDUs) alongside hybrid air and liquid cooling systems capable of removing up to 84% of generated heat. The design incorporates digital modelling and monitoring tools - including ETAP, EcoStruxure IT Design, and AVEVA's Unified Operations Center - to support infrastructure planning, performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and operational management. Manish Kumar, Executive Vice President, Secure Power & Data Centers at Schneider Electric, says, "Today, organisations require comprehensive, AI-ready reference designs that can take them from planning to deployment faster and with less risk. "Through our collaboration with AMD, we're delivering an engineering-backed reference design that bridges the gap between advanced AI compute platforms, energy tech, and real-world data centre implementation, enabling customers to deploy scalable, high-density AI environments with greater confidence, efficiency, and speed." Forrest Norrod, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Data Center Solutions Business Group at AMD, adds, "AI infrastructure is rapidly moving to full-scale AI factories and that requires compute, networking, power, and cooling to be designed together from the start. "AMD Helios provides an open, rack-scale architecture built to deliver the performance, efficiency, and flexibility required for next-generation AI workloads. By working with Schneider Electric to create a validated reference design, we are giving customers a practical blueprint to accelerate high-density AI deployments, reduce integration risk, and scale with greater confidence and efficiency." The reference design has been validated to ANSI standards for deployments in the United States, with support for IEC standards planned for future international implementations. For more from Schneider Electric, click here.

Liberty Energy, PowerBridge form joint data centre venture

Liberty Energy, a Denver-based oilfield services company, and PowerBridge, a developer of power-integrated data centre campuses for hyperscale and AI, have formed a joint venture to support the development of powered data centre campuses, beginning with a planned 2GW site in West Texas, USA. The partnership combines PowerBridge's digital campus development experience with Liberty Power Innovations' power generation and energy management offerings to support large-scale AI and hyperscale data centre developments. The companies say the joint venture will provide an integrated approach to campus infrastructure and on-site power generation as demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow. Its initial focus is the proposed Alpha Digital Campus in West Texas, where the first phase is expected to include more than 300MW of generation capacity. Initial power delivery is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027, with further deployment planned through the first half of 2028. Joint venture targets future AI infrastructure projects PowerBridge is responsible for developing the digital campus infrastructure, including pad-ready sites and a regional fibre conduit network, whilst Liberty Power Innovations will design, develop, and operate the modular power generation systems. The companies say the model is intended to support future gigawatt-scale data centre campuses serving hyperscale operators, AI workloads, and other large power users. Alex Hernandez, founder and Chief Executive Officer of PowerBridge, comments, "PowerBridge was founded on the premise of driving and solving the accelerating convergence between energy and digital infrastructure. Our mission is to serve our digital infrastructure customers with an integrated powered campus solution while building new power generation assets that strengthen grid reliability. "By aligning our powered campus development assets with Liberty's comprehensive power services and operational expertise, we are creating a model that can be scaled across future gigawatt-scale powered data centre campuses in West Texas." Ron Gusek, Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Energy, adds, "The most sophisticated customers are increasingly seeking partners that can simplify the delivery of large-scale digital infrastructure projects. As power availability becomes a defining factor in data centre development, customers need integrated solutions that align power generation, energy management, and campus infrastructure planning from the outset. "With PowerBridge, we are helping customers secure reliable power faster and more efficiently, supporting the accelerating growth of AI and digital infrastructure." The joint venture remains subject to the completion of commercial agreements and the required regulatory approvals.

DC BLOX joins 1GW AI data centre project

DC BLOX, a provider of connected data centres and fibre networks, has been selected as the digital infrastructure partner in a development consortium, led by Amentum, a US government services and engineering company, that has been chosen by the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to enter negotiations for a phased lease at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The proposed development includes a 1GW AI data centre campus alongside approximately 2GW of dedicated on-site energy generation. The project forms part of a federal initiative to use government-owned sites to support AI infrastructure development, increase power availability for the electricity grid, and advance nuclear reactor technologies. If negotiations are successful, the consortium will develop the project through a public-private partnership intended to accelerate the deployment of AI infrastructure and supporting energy capacity. AI infrastructure and energy development DC BLOX will provide expertise in the design, construction, and operation of digital infrastructure as part of the consortium. The company has previously invested in digital infrastructure across the region and is also a founding member of the Palmetto Nuclear Coalition. Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX, says, "DC BLOX is honoured to join Amentum and this visionary consortium to support a programme that accelerates our nation's economic growth through technology advancement. To lead, we must innovate not just in how we build data centres, but in how we power them." The Palmetto Nuclear Coalition brings together energy users, industry organisations, policymakers, and other stakeholders with the aim of supporting the future deployment of nuclear energy alongside digital infrastructure. The organisations say the approach is intended to provide reliable power for AI and cloud computing workloads. For more from DC BLOX, click here.

Data centre batteries could cut peak grid demand by 15%

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is increasing electricity demand from data centres and could encourage greater investment in energy storage and clean energy technologies, according to researchers from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. The researchers argue that, with appropriate policy and market reforms, data centre operators could play a larger role in supporting electricity networks by investing in on-site energy infrastructure alongside new computing capacity. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand from new data centres is expected to double by 2030. In the US, data centres could account for up to 17% of electricity consumption by the end of the decade. To assess the potential impact of on-site energy storage, the researchers analysed electricity consumption across 96 UK data centres using data from UK Power Networks. Their findings suggest that using on-site batteries to meet peak demand could reduce peak electricity imports from the grid by 10–15%. Research highlights role of batteries and grid flexibility The paper also proposes a series of policy reforms, including changes to grid connection rules, greater support for on-site battery storage and clean energy generation, incentives for flexible computing loads during periods of grid stress, and measures to encourage investment in next-generation energy storage technologies. The researchers argue that future data centre developments should be assessed not only by their electricity demand, but also by the flexibility, energy storage, and clean energy capacity they contribute to the wider electricity system. Lead author Behnam Zakeri, Assistant Professor and Deputy Head of the Institute for Data, Energy and Sustainability (IDEaS) at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, says, "AI is creating an unprecedented race for electricity. The question is not just where to find clean power, but how quickly it can be delivered to meet AI’s growing compute demand. "Big tech companies are increasingly investing in energy storage as a solution to several of their power problems. What is now emerging is a ‘nexus’ where AI and energy storage reinforce one another. "AI is already helping to discover new materials, accelerate battery development, and optimise energy storage systems. At the same time, the growing demand for reliable, clean electricity for data centres is creating a powerful market for batteries, long-duration storage, and other flexibility technologies. "Under the right conditions, the digital infrastructure boom could help accelerate the clean energy transition beyond data centres themselves, creating spillover effects across other sectors."

Terra Innovatum targets Latin American data centres

Terra Innovatum Global, a developer of micro-modular nuclear reactors, has signed a commercial letter of intent (LOI) with Waiken ILW to deploy its SOLO micro-modular nuclear reactor platform at data centre facilities operated by DIRECTV Latin America and SKY Brasil in Jaguariúna, Brazil. The agreement covers an initial deployment of up to 8MWe of behind-the-meter generating capacity, with the reactors intended to provide on-site power for the facilities. Alessandro Petruzzi, co-founder and CEO of Terra Innovatum Global, says, "This initiative aims to provide reliable, behind-the-meter clean energy solutions for Waiken ILW’s data centers while serving as a proof of concept for other long-term, energy-intensive operations within the Waiken ILW group of companies. "Critical communications infrastructure demands uninterrupted, resilient power. We believe this agreement demonstrates the growing commercial opportunity for behind-the-meter nuclear energy beyond AI data centres, extending into media, telecommunications, and other critical infrastructure sectors." First commercial deployment planned for the region The companies note that the project marks Terra Innovatum's first announced commercial deployment initiative in Latin America and reflects increasing interest in factory-built, micro-modular nuclear reactors for energy-intensive facilities. The SOLO platform is intended for use across a range of sectors, including telecommunications, cloud infrastructure, data centres, financial services, healthcare, and industrial facilities. Giordano Morichi, Founding Partner, Chief Business Development Officer, and Director of Investor Relations at Terra Innovatum Global, comments, "This strategic collaboration with Waiken ILW highlights the commercial strength of our global supply chain and the versatility of our SOLO technology. "The agreement demonstrates that SOLO is not designed for a single market; rather, it is a platform that can scale across multiple industries and geographies, including telecommunications, cloud infrastructure, and data centres, financial services, healthcare, industrial facilities, and other mission-critical operations." Carlos Magariños, Chief Global and Regulatory Strategy at Waiken ILW, adds, "We partner with Terra Innovatum Global to drive a forward-looking energy strategy that reinforces our long-standing commitment to innovation, sustainability, and technological excellence across all our companies and partners. "This alliance will strengthen our infrastructure by delivering reliable, behind-the-meter clean energy to DIRECTV’s and SKY’s broadcasting data centers, paving the way for a cleaner, more resilient, and self-sustaining energy future across Argentina, Brazil, and the broader region." For more from Terra Innovatum, click here.

PowerCell wins hydrogen power order for AI data centre

PowerCell, a Swedish developer and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells for stationary power and transport applications, has secured an order worth approximately SEK 30 million (£2.3 million) to supply hydrogen fuel cell systems for ECL's CSC-1 AI data centre campus in Santa Clara, California, USA. The contract covers the supply of PowerCell PS190 fuel cell systems, together with licences for the company's Distributed Master Controller (DMC), for integration into ECL's FlexGrid microgrid architecture. The installation represents approximately 5MW of power generation capacity, with deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The order follows the deployment of the same technology at ECL's MV-1 AI data centre in Mountain View, California, and forms part of an ongoing collaboration between ECL, PowerCell, and Bosch. Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Group, says, "This order demonstrates how hydrogen fuel cells are becoming part of critical energy infrastructure. As demand for computing capacity accelerates, access to reliable power has become one of the industry's biggest constraints. "ECL deserves significant credit for having continuously operated liquid, hydrogen-powered AI infrastructure over the past two years. Technology matures through operation and that experience has created a depth of application knowledge that few organisations have." Project targets resilient AI infrastructure The CSC-1 campus is designed to provide 35MW of AI computing capacity using a combination of grid power, battery storage, natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cells. PowerCell's DMC will coordinate these energy sources through ECL's energy management platform. According to PowerCell, the project marks a commercial deployment of its strategy to combine hydrogen fuel cell technology with energy management software for primary power applications rather than standby generation. Alongside the order, PowerCell and ECL have also signed a separate non-binding memorandum of understanding covering a potential further 300MW of hydrogen power capacity.